Why I actually sat through Locomotives (1934)

Is it worth the time?

If you like trains—and I mean really like trains—this is basically a holy text. It is also perfect for people who enjoy looking at old things in glass cases while it's raining outside.

If you are looking for drama or people talking to each other, you will probably hate this. It is literally a movie about models.

I watched this on a Tuesday afternoon when I didn't want to think about my own life. It worked for that. It’s a very specific kind of quiet.

The Tiny World

There is something about the way the camera looks at these models. It doesn't feel like a normal documentary from 1934.

Humphrey Jennings, the guy who made this, clearly had a thing for the industrial soul of England. You can tell because he lingers on the wheels for a long time.

The wheels are so small but they look so heavy. It's a strange trick of the light in the Science Museum.

I found myself wondering who had to polish all that brass. The movie doesn't tell you, it just lets you look at the shine.

Some of the shots are a bit shaky. It feels like the cameraman was trying not to bump into the display cases.

Specific bits I noticed

• The way the light reflects off the tiny pistons is actually pretty beautiful.
• There’s a shot of a Rocket model that looks almost real if you squint your eyes.
• The labels on the models are visible for a split second and they look hand-written.
• The silence. There is so much silence in the way this is presented.

It reminds me a bit of the technical focus you see in The Somme, but without the heavy dread. It’s just... machines.

The history of steam is told in a very linear way. It starts small and gets bigger, which I guess is how history works.

I did find myself getting a bit bored around the five-minute mark. My mind wandered to what I was going to have for dinner.

But then a new model would pop up with these incredibly intricate red wheels. And I was back in.

The Jennings Touch

Jennings went on to make bigger stuff like Songs of England later on. You can see the seeds of that here.

He treats a piece of metal like it's a lead actor in a movie like Blood and Sand. Except the metal doesn't have any lines.

There is a real dignity in how these toys are filmed. They aren't treated like playthings for kids.

They are treated like the ghosts of the big engines that actually built the world. It’s a bit romantic if you think about it too much.

The movie is very short, which is its biggest strength. It doesn't overstay its welcome or try to be a "masterpiece."

I think I liked it more than Persuasive Peggy just because it didn't try to force an emotion on me. It just said, "Look at this train," and I did.

Sometimes you just want to look at a train. Even if it's a tiny one from ninety years ago.

The pacing is slow, like a clock ticking in a room where nobody is talking. It’s peaceful in a way that modern movies never are.

One model had a little bit of dust on the top of the boiler. I liked that. It felt real.

It made me want to go to London and see if those same models are still there. They probably are.

Final thoughts while the screen went black

This isn't "cinema" in the way people usually talk about it. It’s more like a visual list.

But it’s a good list. It’s a list of things that people used to care about a lot.

I don't think I'll watch it again tomorrow. But I'm glad I watched it today. 🚂

If you're bored, give it a go. It’s better than scrolling through your phone for ten minutes.